SHA + Plus Hotel Reservation Links

[Sundance2020]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the “SHA Plus” Certificate is a project by Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to control the Thai tourism industry for safety standards to match the new normal way and show tourists that hotels and other services are taking measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus with at least 70% of hotel or business staffs have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. After the latest update, it is now required to book a Test & Go package or Sandbox stay with SHA Extra Plus hotel. SHA Extra Plus (SHA++) hotels are those that not only meet the Amazing Thailand SHA Plus standard but also provide an accommodation service in partnership with certified hospitals for the RT-PCR test.

Under the quarantine free travel arrangement Test & Go that is available for fully vaccinated travelers arriving in Thailand by air, a stay at SHA Extra Plus Hotel in Bangkok for 1 night is required on the day of arrival. After getting a negative COVID-19 test result travelers are allowed to travel anywhere in the country but on Day 5 they must stay 1 more night at SHA Extra Plus hotel in Bangkok or another province to wait for the result of the second RT-PCR test. If you are planning to spend at least 5 days in Bangkok and don't have an apartment there, we would recommend to simplify the process by booking 5 nights in one hotel that would cover both mandatory nights and testing.



For SHA + Hotels please check the following websites:

Bangkok | Website

Pattaya | Website

Phuket | Website

Krabi | Website

Phang Nga | Website

Koh Samui | Website

[Tripadvisor]

Hotels now required to confirm paid room bookings and PCR tests with government

As part of the revamped Test & Go entry scheme, hotels are now required to confirm Thailand Pass bookings within 30 hours or applications will be rejected automatically. According to a Bangkok Post report, hotels must verify room bookings and PCR test appointments with the Foreign Ministry in order for a Thailand Pass application to be approved. Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, says the new rule has been introduced to ensure the testing requirement is being met in all cases.

“The re-opening of the Test & Go scheme depends on monitoring 100% of the PCR results, and we have to encourage more tourists to download the MorChana app.”

The Test & Go entry scheme, relaunched yesterday after a short Omicron-fuelled hiatus, now requires all overseas arrivals to take a PCR test on days 1 and 5 of their stay. They must also have proof of a paid booking at a SHA Plus hotel for both days and must remain in their room until they receive a negative test result. However, on days 2, 3, and 4, they are free to roam wherever they like in the country – provided that is, that they tested negative in the day 1 test…

Siripakorn Cheawsamoot from the TAT says the new procedure has been named Thailand Pass Hotel & Swap System, adding that in the case of locals and foreign residents, 39 provinces around the country have 2,247 SHA Extra Plus hotels where they can book in for their day 5 test.

“If they cannot find such a hotel in their hometown, they can travel to a nearby province.”

Meanwhile, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi from the Thai Hotels Association says that while the day 5 PCR test may be necessary in the early days of Test & Go, eventually the requirement should be lifted or replaced with an antigen test kit.

[Sundance2020]

Hospitels close the door on Covid | Hotels reopen for business as usual



With Covid-19 projected to be labelled as endemic next month, hospitels and alternate quarantine sites have resumed normal operations.

Hospitels are hotels that provided rooms for people who had mild Covid symptoms. They helped ease the strain on the kingdom’s hospitals during the peak period of the coronavirus pandemic. But now the service is consigned to history, according to the vice-president of the Thai Hotels Association, Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun.

Hotels that used to rely on Chinese tourists as a source of revenue were the hardest hit. Staff shortages is another problem as the industry tries to get back on its feet, since many experienced employees have left the hotel industry.

The conversion from hotel to hospitel helped hotels sustain some income as tourism was hit hard. But now restrictions are easing, and borders are opening, hotels can return to normal, just in time for the high season later this year in October. An extensive maintenance and cleaning procedure is already underway in preparation.

As many as 128 Thai businesses chose to partake in alternative quarantine services to welcome both visitors and regular guests, such as those attending meetings and seminars during the final few months of the AQ program. Last month, the Department of Health Service Support announced the closure of all AQ sites. But if the number of cases rises again, the quarantine service will be reinstated.

After the some Covid requirements were relaxed on May 1, the number of people arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport that needed to stay at AQ accommodation, dropped to around 30 per day, compared to 600-700 per day in the second half of 2021.